ATLANTA -- Tyler Perry is in talks to buy part of Ft. McPherson to build a movie studio.

On Wednesday, the McPherson Implementing Local Redevelopment Authority unanimously voted to begin negotiations with Tyler Perry Studios to sell part of the former military base.

The authority is charged with finding a new purpose for the nearly 500-acre piece of land, turning it into a mixed-use development.

Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves, also a member of the authority, said having a Tyler Perry studio in the area would be the first concrete step toward development since the army post closed in 2011.

"Usually when you have a new development, you want that big anchor," Eaves told 11Alive's Blayne Alexander. "So I see [Perry] and his enterprise as being a potential big anchor."

Eaves said affordable housing, commercial retail and a school have all been discussed as possible uses for the land.

Wednesday afternoon, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed issued the following statement on the negotiations:

Today's unanimous vote by the McPherson Implementing Local Redevelopment Authority to begin negotiations with Tyler Perry Studios for the acquisition of a significant Fort McPherson property is an important step forward in the long-term economic and social sustainability of the base and its surrounding communities. Over the course of the next thirty days, the City will remain actively engaged in a robust conversation about the future of the property.

Perry, an actor, producer and director, currently operates a 200,000 square foot studio located in southwest Atlanta, according to its website.

Located halfway between downtown Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Fort McPherson is considered one of Georgia's prime economic development assets. Back in 2011, it was closed as a military base and transferred to city jurisdiction.

GALLERY: Tyler Perry through the years:

HOLLYWOOD - FEBRUARY 21: Director/actor Tyler Perry poses with his mother Maxine at the after party for the Lionsgate Premiere Of "Madeas Family Reunion" held in Hollywood, California on February 21, 2006. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) (Photo: Frazer Harrison Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 04: Actress and singer Janet Jackson poses with actor and director Tyler Perry at Lionsgate's Premiere Of "Why Did I Get Married?" held at the The Cinerama Dome, Arclight Hollywood on October 4, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) (Photo: Frazer Harrison Getty Images)

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Police attacked civil-rights marchers outside Selma, Alabama, on Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965. The film Selma follows what happened leading up to Bloody Sunday and is filming now in Metro Atlanta. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)